FanHouse MarcusMcNeill

On Saturday, around 6:30 PM ET, commissioner Roger Goodell made his way to the podium at Radio City Music Hall and announced that, with the 16th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers had selected Larry English, defensive end, out of Northern Illinios.

The pick was immediately met with skepticism; in the weeks leading up to the biggest offseason event on the NFL calendar, most mock drafts had the Chargers taking a running back. Georgia's Knowshon Moreno would have been an obvious choice, but the Broncos' impetuousness took him off the board at No. 12. Which meant that San Diego would have to settle on the second-best back on their board (assuming Moreno was first), or, perhaps, they had every intention of bolstering the defense all along.

Chargers left tackle Marcus McNeill was a pleasant surprise in 2006, his first year in the league. He was a second-round pick who emerged as one of the team's best offensive lineman, making the Pro Bowl as a rookie. This year, though, McNeill regressed, and he willingly shoulders the blame.

McNeill vowed yesterday that this year's Pro Bowl appearance will prod him to greater things, where being voted here in his rookie season last year perhaps prompted him to simply plod.

"Mentally, I should have been a little more prepared than I was going into this year," McNeill said. "Nothing is going to be easy, and maybe I felt it would be. I'm going to come back stronger next season. This is going to make me better. If you don't have that want and desire, you're not going to push yourself."

After a slow start to his sophomore season -- McNeill gave up 9.5 sacks through the first 13 games of '07 -- he "played like an All-Pro the last six weeks" ... according to Norv Turner, anyway. Amazingly, as a rookie, McNeill was only responsible for five sacks.

With defensive ends getting bigger and faster, left tackles are at a premium. McNeill had an off-year -- it happens -- but there's no reason to think he'll suddenly morph into a turnstile. And even if he does, no need to worry: the fleet-footed Philip Rivers will be even tougher to bring down with his shiny new knee.

To get you ready for Week 16, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is your Broncos/Chargers preview.

2007 Records:

Denver Broncos: 6-8 (2nd in AFC West)
San Diego Chargers: 9-5 (AFC West Champions)

Last Week:

Texans 31, Broncos 13
Chargers 51, Lions 14

When the Broncos have the ball: The Broncos still rank eighth in the league in rushing yards, a shocking figure given how iffy their production on the ground has been this season. Injuries to Travis Henry and Tom Nalen are the biggest reason their ground game has flagged and this doesn't appear to be the week to bet on a big comeback. Whether Henry or Selvin Young gets the bulk of the carries, the center of the Bronco line will have to find a way to deal with big Jamal Williams and that might be too tall an order. If they can't get the ground game working early, the Broncos will be leaving Jay Cutler with an awful lot to do. He throws well on the run, a good thing since the Chargers have resumed playing aggressive, blitzing defense, but he also forces too many throws. Against a team that's picked off 10 balls in the last three weeks that's suicidal.

Last year, the Chargers used their second-round pick on left tackle Marcus McNeill and was arguably the league's best rookie, although I imagine Vince Young might disagree. McNeill did a splendid job of protecting Philip Rivers' blindside and opening holes for LaDainian Tomlinson on San Diego's way to a 14-win season.

Fast-forward to 2007 and it's a completely different story. According to the San Diego Tribune's Kevin Acee, McNeill has allowed 9.5 sacks this season compared to just five in '06. (The Chargers have tagged McNeill with six in 2007 and two in 2006; either way, he's been less consistent in pass protection this season.)

So what gives? General manager A.J. Smith, in between trying to rationalize why firing Marty Schottenheimer was the right move, says McNeill "has struggled, but not each and every game ... he's been having trouble in a couple games with outstanding pass rushers."

Among the [other] reasons he is not the protector he was is he has too often been technically messy or even slow. Also, teams have had almost two seasons to see him, understand where he is vulnerable, when he is prone to leaning over or not getting leverage or being sloppy with his footwork. Additionally, some opposing ends are more hyped up to play him than when he was relatively unknown.

That might explain why Tennessee's Kyle Vanden Bosch was running roughshod over McNeill for most of the game last week. To McNeill's credit, he rallied in the fourth quarter, contained Vanden Bosch, and the Chargers somehow managed to win in overtime. It wasn't pretty, but whatever gets the job done, I guess.

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There were lots of impressive rookies in the NFL last season, from Vince Young to Reggie Bush to DeMeco Ryans to Devin Hester.

But the best may have been Marcus McNeill, who stepped in as the Chargers' second-round draft pick started all 16 games at left tackle (the most important position on the offensive line), and helped the line become the best in the NFL.

McNeill was thought, before last year's draft, to be as good a run-blocker as top tackle prospect D'Brickashaw Ferguson, but nowhere near as good a pass blocker. Instead, McNeill proved he was better than Ferguson -- and just about every other NFL offensive lineman -- at both run blocking and pass blocking.

Phillip Rivers had a very good first season as a starter, and McNeill didn't get enough credit for contributing to that very good first season by protecting Rivers' blind side. When you watch the Chargers this year, take your eyes off the skill position players for a few plays and take a look at McNeill. You'll like what you see.

Bottom line: For Rivers' continued success, McNeill -- not LaDainian Tomlinson or Antonio Gates -- is the Chargers' most indispensable player.

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